Panel on waste disposal will meet daily, says SC

A bench led by justice MB Lokur also told additional solicitor general Pinky Anand not to nominate top officials from civic agencies as committee members as their prior commitments would not permit them to attend the daily meetings.

The bench told the ASG not to nominate top officials from the civic agencies as committee members.(Arun Sharma/HT file)

The Supreme Court on Wednesday made it clear that the high-powered committee, set up to look into the solid waste management problem in Delhi, would have to meet every day for two weeks to work out the modalities for garbage disposal.

The bench led by justice MB Lokur also told additional solicitor general Pinky Anand not to nominate top officials from civic agencies as committee members as their prior commitments would not permit them to attend the daily meetings.

“The chairperson of NDMC or the chairman of SDMC will not be able to attend the meetings. You must appoint someone who is a rank lower,” justice Lokur said. “It has to be a continuous exercise for two weeks and we shall take up the matter again. If we feel the committee needs an extension, we will issue orders accordingly,” the judge said.

Anand informed the bench that the committee — whose members were decided upon — held a meeting on Tuesday and planned to meet twice a week.

However, the bench insisted that the committee must meet every day. It even asked her to nominate five persons from the civil society as panel members.

The names were suggested by senior counsel Colin Gonsalves, who is assisting the court in the case related to garbage management. The court will hear the matter again on August 31.